It's hard to describe a true spin class, which is a lot more than pedalling away while music pumps and an instructor shouts motivational slogans at you. It has a compelling essence you need to experience yourself — and once you do, you get why spinning has a cult-like following.

"A good instructor is able to create the moment between each spinner where they feel like they are achieving absolutely everything on their own, but that they are also part of the team," says Kristy Milson, senior master trainer at "virtual cycling studio" Infinite Cycle in Sydney.

"You feel that, as a collective, you're achieving something," she tells Coach. "It's more than just a workout."

Infinite Cycle ambassador Anna Heinrich

Who should try spinning class?

So by now you might be keen on giving spin a whirl, but also feel a little wary — especially if you don't think your fitness is up to puffing away on a bike for an hour.

So here's the good news: indoor cycling is scaleable, meaning you can adapt the difficulty to your fitness level; and it's low-impact, meaning it doesn't put a lot of pressure on your joints. Translation: it's a workout for everybody.

"Spin takes the pressure off your body and you can also take it at your own pace," says Infinite Cycle ambassador and spinning devotee Anna Heinrich. "It doesn't rule out anyone. I think anyone can give it a try — whether you're female, male, teenager or you're a lot older."

What to do before your first spinning class

Or rather, what not to do: wolf down a big meal.

"Before any sort of exercise you definitely want to limit your food intake," Milson says. "You want to leave a minimum of an hour before any big meals. If you're someone who gets light-headed easily and needs a pre-workout snack, just have a banana."

She also recommends making yourself known to the instructor well before you strap into your bike.

"Come to class a lot earlier than it starts — especially if you're apprehensive about it."

Get familiar with your bike

Before the class starts, your instructor (who you're hopefully old friends with my now) will help adjust your bike to your body. Broadly, the saddle should be about hip height and high enough so you can almost-but-not-fully extend your legs each time you sweep them down.

Depending on the studio, you might also don special spin shoes (walking in them feels like you've grown hooves) that allow you to lock into your pedals. That's not to prevent escape, but for improved performance and safety.

"Using the cleats will help to protect the body — the hips and pelvis in particular," Milson explains. "Without using the cleats typically you start to see people's knees come out or in, for example, if they're tired or overstressed."

How to get the most from your spin workout — and avoid injury

Every single form of movement carries a risk of injury — even gentle yoga. Milson says there are important steps that will prevent you hurting yourself in a spin class.

"Make sure you keep your heels down at all times," she tells Coach. "Keep your knees tracking over your toes so they're going straight ahead — like they're on a train track."

It's also likely your shoulders will end up hunched tightly around your shoulders and your elbows will lock tight, without you even realising it's happened.

"Stay nice and relaxed," Milson says. "It's very common [for shoulders to come up], especially from people who sit at desks and computers all day."

Her number one tip will not only shield you from injury but also engage even more lower-body muscles: stop pushing the pedal down, and instead focus on pulling it up.

"That's important because a pro cyclist will use the whole cycle pedal, the whole movement, and that's what we want to focus on as well," she says. "[Only pushing down] would be like doing squats but only going down and not coming up too."

Don't forget to breathe

Milson offers two rules that will help you both in a cycling studio and out in the real world: "Never panic and always breathe."

Focus on your breath during your spin class, breathing in deep through your nose and out through your mouth, which Milson says will keep your body calm through the stress of exercise.

"Shallow breathing can send the brain and your neurochemicals into a state of anxiety," she explains.

Spin is a full-body workout — not just for your legs

Spin newcomers are often surprised that it's not just a workout for your lower body. Studios including Infinite Cycle offer classes incorporating resistance exercises that also challenge your chest, back, biceps and triceps.

"It's a full body workout," says Heinrich. "You're using arms, legs — head to toe."

It's worth investigating what kind of bike your closest spin studio uses, because they're not all the same. Infinite Cycle, for example, has exclusive use of a bike that moves 22 degrees from side to side (like the Ariana song!) to mimic the motion of a real bicycle.

"I actually feel that [our bikes] match the body's movement," Milson says. "There's less torque going through the joints and the rider's burning 20 percent more calories through doing that."